The X Conspiracy
by OmegaVA
Summary: The X-men must race against time and various villians to uncover a cabal plot.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Ororo Munroe floated serenely above the grounds of Xavier's School for the Gifted in Salem Center, New York. She sighed as the wind whipped her flowing white lock about her face. Smiling to herself she closed her eyes and raised her face to the sun letting it warm her cheeks. This was one of her favorite past times; simply gliding around the institute feeling the atmospheric changes and the air currents around her. She had been at it for nearly an hour yet could not return to the earth…not just yet.

"One more time around the grounds," she told herself and began to glide back towards the main gate. She allowed herself to dip low enough to the great ornate fountain in the driveway and the water splashed over her bare feet. She prepared to head east around the mansion when something caught her attention. Something was out of place. The air currents that were moving across the lawn were distorted and she could see no cause for it. As quick as lightning she pressed her com link.

"Intruder alert!" she bellowed. "Intruders on the-", she was cut off because suddenly her world turned on end. She looked up to see the ground rushing towards her and she grunted as she slammed into the soft earth. Ororo blinked away the lights in her eyes and struggled to regain the wind that was knocked from her. She looked around but still saw no one.

"Who is there? Show yourselves!" Storm demanded rising to her feet. Her eyes had already frosted over in a cloudy white haze. Then a man appeared about twenty yards away. He was dressed in old English attire, complete with pantaloons, a ruffled shirt and crushed velvet vest. His hands were folded politely behind him and his barrel chest was large and proud. "Shaw!" Storm spat angrily. Still she did not move or strike. Obviously some sort of illusion was in play here which explain her graceful landing. Reagan Wyngard was the first person that came to her mind, so she opted to bide her time till reinforcements arrived…which she hoped would be soon.

"Hello Ms. Munroe," Sebastian Shaw drawled. He smirked at her with obvious contempt. "Beautiful day isn't it?"

"Why are you here Shaw?" Storm demanded once more rising to her full height. She continued to read the air currents to asses her situation. There were at least two others there, shrouded in illusion.

"Just came to say hello and-" before Shaw could finish his sentence a loud 'Bamf!' sounded behind him. Kurt Wagner materialized in a cloud of swirling brimstone and kicked a three-toed foot at seeming empty space. Storm heard a woman grunt then saw Lady Mastermind appear and collapse onto the lawn beside Kurt. A large man also appeared behind him.

"Look out Kurt!" Storm yelled but she was too late Donald Pierce struck Nightcrawler with a bone-crushing punch and sent him reeling. Storm struck the ground near pierce with a bolt of lightning and took to the sky again. She tried to reach Nightcrawler but Shaw was faster. He grabbed the unconscious mutant around the head and Storm stopped her advance.

"Do not move or I will pop his head like a pomegranate," he threatened. Pierce smiled wickedly from behind Shaw and looked down at Wyngard unsympathetically. A roar sounded as Hank McCoy came bounding across the lawn towards them but he stopped short when he saw that Nightcrawler was down. "Too bad for you only three of you stayed home, but perfect for us. While I am here I may as well take one of you out for good," Shaw said lifting Kurt off of the ground.

"No!" Storm screamed but there was another 'bamf!' and Nightcrawler vanished leaving Shaw chocking on brimstone. Before the smoke even began to clear Beast had launched himself at Shaw. He landed on Black King's shoulders and flipped him backwards at Pierce. Pierce dodged the human projectile and prepared to attack Hank, but a bolt of lightning struck his cybernetic arm and he wailed in pain.

"You witch!" He screamed up at Storm. She ignored him and soared over to Shaw who had picked himself up and was dusting himself off nonchalantly. He regarded her as a person may look at a bug. As Nightcrawler reappeared next to Hank the three of them looked at their three unwelcome guests expectantly. Storm's eyes flashed and her body sizzled with electrical energy. Shaw's powers may allow him to absorb physical attacks, but she doubted he could withstand a direct hit from a bolt of lightning. Still Shaw remained motionless and aloof. Fed up, Storm summoned a barrage of forked lighting at the trio. A light flashed brighter than lightning and when their eyes had refocused Beast, Storm and Nightcrawler saw that their enemies had vanished.

**Author's Notes**

_This is my first time doing fan fiction so bear with me. These events take place before the events of Decimation_.


	2. Chapter 2

**The X Conspiracy Chapter 2**

"Trevor Fitzroy," Hank McCoy stated warily. He, Nightcrawler and Storm had gathered in the War Room in the subbasement of the Xavier compound. Storm had contacted other members of the team who were away on missions or vacations. An attack at the mansion was very serious and with the Professor in Washington she had thought it best to have as many X-Men home as possible.

Nightcrawler crouched low near a computer console having recovered quickly from the fight. His lamp-like eyes swung in Hank's direction questioningly.

"I caught his scent right before the lightning struck," Beast explained stroking his indigo whiskers, "He must have teleported them away." Storm frowned. No question Shaw's White Rook would have been there because it explains how they got onto the grounds in the first place. So why hadn't they seen him during the fight? Or had he been hidden by Lady Mastermind? No, she thought, Kurt knocked her out and her illusions had faded, so where did Fitzroy go during the attack?

"We need to check the grounds and the entire facility," Storm announced. "Hank, activate security measures to scan for any foreign devices, Kurt and I will check for anything out of place."

"You suspect Shaw ordered Fitzroy to plant cameras or a bomb?" Kurt Wagner asked in his German accent. He moved from the console toward Ororo.

"I do not know for certain, Kurt," Ororo said turning to leave. "Though I am sure they either left something behind or took something with them."

Scott Summers pulled his cherry red mustang into the garage next to the mansion. His wife, Jean, gave him a reassuring smile as they stepped out of the sports car. They were very accustomed to being called away from vacations due to emergencies. It was part of the job, but he could not help feeling more irritated as this was their anniversary.

Sensing her husband's negative mood, Jean tele-sent him an image of the two of them making up for lost time in the hot tub. Scott smiled, his eyes hidden behind ruby quartz shades.

They entered the mansion and were immediately greeted by Nightcrawler. "Sorry you had to cut your time short, but we have a situation." Kurt brought them up to speed on the attack, Fitzroy, and their search of the compound. "I have been checking the rooms systematically but have found nothing odd," the blue skinned mutant informed. "Hank conducted sensor sweeps and found no foreign devices or explosives, but Ororo feels certain something is not right."

"She should," Scott said heading to the elevator that led to the subbasement, "because from what you have told me it seems as if they were only trying to distract you. We had better check the lower levels as well, although if a bomb was planted down there sensors would detect it immediately."

"Beast is checking the lab and armory," Nightcrawler said casting his yellow eyes over them. "I should probably check the hangar." Scott nodded in agreement.

"While you are there, Jean check Cerebro," Scott said turning to his wife. Cerebro was a large room where a powerful telepath could amplify their powers. It was most often used to find other mutants by the Professor, Jean, or Emma. "I will check the Danger Room. The elevator came to a silent halt and the three X-men parted ways to continue their search. Scott threw a quick look over his should and caught a glimpse of Kurt bounding down the hall around a corner and out of sight. He turned his attention to his wife. Jean's fiery red hair cascaded down her back, swaying slightly with her steady gait. I must be the luckiest bastard alive, he thought to himself before rounding the corner and entering the X-Men's training facility.

The door to the Danger room hissed as it slid open and he crossed the threshold. He found himself on city street, busy with pedestrians. To an average person this sight would have been startling and seemingly impossible but Scott knew better. As field leader of the X-Men, Scott, code named Cyclops because of the destructive energy that erupted from his eyes, was very familiar with the alien technology of the Danger Room. Hard light holograms that were ultra realistic and robots made up this phony environment. Still, with all it false hoods Cyclops had to appreciate how real it all seemed. The feeling of appreciation was quickly replaced by annoyance at the thought that someone left a program running. These sophisticated holograms required a lot of energy to sustain, and he remembered ho how pale the Professor had turned when he opened the last power bill. Seething he crossed a grassy patch beside the sidewalk to find the control panel with intentions of deactivating the scenario. Before he could take three steps a loud crash grabbed his attention.

Standing well over fifty feet tall, a gigantic chrome robot with glowing red eyes appeared from behind an office building across the street. "Halt mutant." The robot droned with seeming indifference.

"Sentinels," Cyclops hisses, "I hate Sentinels." He turned to face the behemoth face to face and eyed it cautiously. Although this was a simulation the robots could still cause bodily harm especially if the safety protocols were deactivated, but only Wolverine trained in that manner. Removing his glasses he unleashed a powerful blast of crimson energy from his eyes. The beam struck the robot's right shoulder and Cyclops was pleased to see that the arm was completely severed. The huge arm crashed to the pavement sending the fake pedestrians fleeing in simulated terror. Cyclops prepared to assault the soulless thing again but it was faster than he expected. The automaton raised it's left arm in a flash its palm exploding sending a bright hot flash of light in Cyclops's direction. Startled he attempted to dodge it with no avail. The wave of light singed the blue sports coat Cyclops had been wearing and stunned him badly. "Shit," Cyclops swore. He cringed in pain and inspected the damage. He had minor burns to his shoulder and his jacket was nearly disintegrated. Someone had definitely turned the safety protocols off. He rolled quickly on his side simultaneously firing a devastating blast hitting the advancing Sentinel's bucket shaped head, downing it permanently.

Climbing to his feet, Cyclops stalked over to the control panel that was hidden behind a poster of Beyonce. He was troubled to discover that the panel was unresponsive to his command codes. Cursing once more, Cyclops whirled around and spied two hulking Sentinels round the corner a block away. "Great," he said aloud. If he had his uniform on he would have been able to contact his teammates with his com link. He needed help. He could not even get the door of the Danger Room to reopen. He was trapped.


	3. Chapter 3

The X Consiracy Chapter 3

Jean Grey Summers sighed as she sauntered towards the large circular door that was the entrance to Cerebro. The door was emboldened with a gigantic "X" symbol which was just about everywhere. She pressed her palm onto the sensor pad and it glowed a electric blue. "Phoenix," she stated evenly activating the voice control security measure. The door hissed and slid open. The room opened into a mammoth cavernous sphere, breached only by a narrow catwalk extending to the epicenter. As she made her way down the catwalk towards the Cerebro console she immediately noticed something wrong. "Oh no," she breathed. Her green eyes flashed urgently across the console and confirmed her fears. The crown was missing. It was the cerebral interface that a telepath would don to access the device. Turning quickly on her heel she rushed out of the room and down the corridor only to be stopped by an assortment of familiar faces.

Wearing a form fitting green and yellow bodysuit and a brown bomber jacket, Rogue flashed a tired smile Jean's way. Her brown hair with its distinct white streak was pulled back in a lazy ponytail. Several curls fell around her face. Beside her Wolverine pulled on his cigar, rings of smoke curled up and around his tufted hair. He was shorter that Rogue but far more intimidating to look at. Robert Drake, otherwise known as Iceman, smiled broadly from behind Wolverine. His blue and grey uniform was noticeably unique with shorts instead of pants. His smile faded when he caught the troubled look on Jean's face.

"What is it? Did you find a bomb?" Bobby asked wide –eyed. He was slightly over dramatic at times being one of younger X-Men.

"No, worse," Jean said ominously. She told them of the missing equipment in Cerebro and watched their worried expressions. "We need to get everyone to the War Room, where are the others?"

"Kurt went to fetch Storm. He told us she was still searching the grounds when we got out of the Blackbird. Beast is in the lab..," Rogue reported in her southern drawl, "and Scott is with you right?"

"He went to check the Danger Room but he should have been done by now," Jean said frowning. Wolverine chewed silently on his cigar and regarded Jean with dark eyes. A thin vertical crease appeared on her brow as she focused her mind on her husband. Wolverine noticed her green eyes flash amber, a sign that she employing her psionic powers. As a telepath she could contact Cyclops immediately and inform him of the situation. Jean's face changed to one of horror. "Scott," she moaned grabbing the sides of her skull as if in pain. "He's in trouble," she chocked her jade eyes glittered wetly. Without a word Wolverine, followed by Rogue Bobby and Jean covered the distance to the entrance of the Danger Room. To their dismay they found the door unresponsive, refusing to open. Jean almost cried in frustration.

"No problem, Red," Wolverine growled, "I got the master keys right here." Jean stepped aside and heard the _snikt! _that audibly announced the presence of Wolverine's adamantium claws. They extended a foot from the backs of each hand, six total. With the precision of a surgeon he carved an opening in the steel door and flung himself inside the Danger Room.

Wolverine heard the familiar eruptions of Cyclops' optic blasts and quickly spotted him. He was sprinting towards a sentinel letting it have the full force of his eyes. Wolverine grunted in approval of Scott's head on attack and then hurled himself over a fallen street lamp and towards the other sentinel that had appeared behind Summers. Letting out a blood curdling animal scream he sent himself into a berserker frenzy, his claws tearing through the robot's metal casing like hot knives through butter.

Jean watched as more mutant hunting robots clambered onto the street. She glanced over at her husband. His entire torso was exposed, his blazer burned away by an energy blast. Large pieces of shattered concrete littered the ground and several cars were on fire. Obviously the safety protocols had been deactivated. She sent a telepathic warning to the rest of the team that the robots were using lethal force, not that it mattered to Wolverine. His healing factor allowed his to recover from deadly wounds in moments. Rogue came flying past her, careening towards her target like a surface to air missile, her fists clenched in determination. She was nearly invulnerable and strong enough to smash boulder with her bare hands, so the protocols were of little concern to her as well. Cyclops, Iceman and herself on the other hand had more limited protection.

Iceman had confronted a robot and was bombarding it with hail the size of medicine balls. He had coated his body in a thick layer of ice and Jean watched briefly as he skated around his foe, disorienting the automaton. Turning her attention away from Bobby, Jean lifted herself off of the ground gracefully and soared towards her husband. He had dispatched the first sentinel and was working on another. She watched in silent horror as the giant deployed several small grenades at Cyclops. The incendiary bombs stuck the pavement with metallic clangs and rolled towards him. Cyclops, noting the danger, blasted two of the grenades away but there was not enough time to shoot them all. Scott Summers braced himself for the impending explosions, his body tense, his mind on his beautiful wife. "Jean, I love you," he thought and he was blinded by a bright flash and fire engulfed him.


	4. Chapter 4

The X Conspiracy Chapter 4

Scott Summers sent up a silent prayer as the flames surrounded him. He braced himself and waited for the heat to sear his skin, the fire to char his flesh and consume him entirely. Instead the fire encircled him leaving a circle around him unburned.

_"I love you too," _came a sweet voice in his mind. Peering through the flames, he could see a figure coming towards him. His wife strode through the inferno to greet him. Cyclops smiled as it was difficult to ignore the irony. Jean Grey was his devoted wife and she was Phoenix, an X-Man. Years ago Jean had be possessed and replaced by the cosmic entity known as the Phoenix Force. Eventually she was freed, but opted to keep the code name. She returned his smile as she closed the space between them and the two heroes embraced and kissed deeply. _"I will never leave you…" _She caressed his face as the flames were doused with a spray of icy slush.

Iceman hung back while the love birds had their moment. He wasn't one for public displays of affection. He glanced over at Rogue, who watched Cyclops and Phoenix with wet eyes. Bobby's gut wrenched. He felt sorry for rogue and wondered what it was like not being able to touch another person. He and every other X-Man knew that if Rogue ever touched someone with her bare skin she would absorb their memories, their personalities and in the case of mutants, their powers as well. Unfortunately for her she was unable to control her power; case and point, Carol Danvers, whose powers now permanently belonged to the southern belle.

Bobby tore his gaze away from Rogue and focused his attention on Wolverine. At the moment he was extracting himself from a scrapheap that was once a Sentinel. An ugly jagged gash traced the length of his torso and before his very eyes the wound began to seal itself, the skin writhing like a zipper. By the time Canadian brawler was at Bobby's side he had not a scratch on him. As the team drew together the entire city melted away. Cowering civilians, burning cars, and robots all vanished leaving sterile, gray arena.

The doors of the Danger Room parted and a tall, elegant black woman entered. Storm gazed expectantly at her teammates; her family. Everyone seemed to be in one piece. "The threat is over," she replied confidently. "Beast has regained control of the Danger Room."

_BAMF_!

Two azure figures materialized in a cloud of sulfuric smoke. Kurt cast a worried glance around with his glowing eyes and in turn Hank studied them as well. "I regret to inform you that although our control of the computer mainframe has been restored, all files regarding security, Cerebro, Danger Room training and International relations have been copied," Beast's cultured commentary betrayed his frightening appearance. Cyclops frowned and removed the remains of his tattered Oxford shirt.

"Everyone to the War Room," he ordered, "We need to get to the bottom of all this."

Sebastian Shaw sipped Cristal from his champagne glass with satisfaction. The raid on the Xavier Institute had gone better than expected. He was now enjoying a celebratory feast with the other members of Club Hellfire. To his immediate right was Selene, his Black Queen. He gave the evil witch a wry grin. God, he hated her, he thought to himself not caring that Selene had telepathic abilities and could probably hear his thoughts. As if replying she winked an eye at him and curved her blood red lips into a wicked smile. Her black eyes glittered like onyx and she flipped her long curtain of raven hair over her shoulder. Sebastian took a moment to admire her porcelain skin and sinful body, which was fitted snugly into a black corset and thigh high boots, before shifting his gaze down the table.

His eyes were drawn to a shock of bright green hair. Trevor Fitzroy was greedily slurping great mouthfuls of wine down his throat. His eye caught Sebastian's and he quickly set his glass down and composed himself, wiping his mouth with a fine white napkin. Trevor was a parasite, literally in fact. To open his inter-dimensional portals he needed to drain the life energy from others. Selene gladly provided victims for him, after she was done corrupting their minds. Trevor had come from a distant and possible future where mutants were hunted and imprisoned. He had hoped his knowledge of advanced technology and future events would afford him some advantage in the past. So far he had not exceeded the rank of Black Rook. Sebastian knew that this parasitic opportunist was not to be trusted. Actually the only person he did trust was his personal assistant, Tessa. She was also his loyal confidant and she stood silently to the side dressed in black bustier, her hair pulled back into a smart bun. She gave Sebastian a reassuring nod. Sebastian nodded in return, grateful for Tessa's computer-like mind. She was able to store massive amounts of information and recall it instantly and accurately. Plus she was a telepath to boot, although not a very strong one. Still, Shaw relied on her heavily. Without her special talents the New York branch of the Hellfire Club would not be the premier branch.

As for the rest of the Royal members, loyalty was an issue. After the defection of Emma Frost, his White Queen, he had become increasingly weary of traitors. Frost had been a key player in Hellfire, easily moving up the ranks and padding the branch's bank account via her scheming. She was one of the most powerful telepaths he had met and she had decided to give all of this up to follow Xavier's naïve vision. Fool. Lady Mastermind had never betrayed Shaw, but her father had put his affairs before Hellfire. Not only had Reagan Wyngard inherited her father's mutant power but also his haughty demeanor. Yet, he had appointed her his Black Knight because she was extremely effective. The final member of the Royals was Donald Pierce. Sebastian Shaw trusted him least of all as he wasn't even a mutant. Pierce spent a small fortune augmenting his body with cybernetic implants. If Pierce's father had not been a Royal before him he may have never been appointed Black Bishop.

In an organization like The Hellfire Club, trustworthiness ranks low on the list of membership requirements. Selene was arguably the most powerful of the Royal Circle, but fortunately for Shaw (and the rest of Manhattan) she was bound to the building by several mystical enchantments. Being a mutant and a sorceress had earned Selene many unconventional enemies of the magical variety. Shaw often wondered who she had crossed to warrant being trapped here.

Shaking the random thoughts from his head Shaw raised his glass to the table. Its contents sparkled in the candlelight and glowed like an eerie specter. He cleared his throat gaining the attention of the table. "To the successful raid on the Xavier Institute," he addressed his cohorts. "To our new temporary alliance," he shot Tessa a meaningful look. She knew the "alliance" was more of a short term contract. A true alliance with their new partner would be dangerous and unsavory. Though Hellfire Club members acted outside the law, they did so very discreetly and thus held a sterling reputation with the authorities. . Generous donations to the NYPD didn't hurt either. Shaw had no desire to be labeled a criminal or terrorist which is why he stressed the word "temporary". He conducted a visual sweep of the table and stood to his feet. The others followed suit. "But above all, to Hellfire!" he concluded the toast lifting his glass higher.

"To Hellfire!" the exclaimed together and Shaw grinned smugly, but inside uncertainty sent his heart rate up. This "temporary alliance" promised to be extremely lucrative, ensuring that the New York branch of Hellfire remained the envy of all the other branches for years to come. Still, he considered the risk he had taken tangoing with the X-Men. They would come for them, he was counting on that. With phase one out of the way the difficult part lay ahead. Phase two would go into effect tonight. The entire plan was still a mystery to his Royal Court, and he had even withheld specifics from Tessa. He would brief them all after dinner then they would prepare to strike. Then they would wait for Xavier's fools to make their move, by then it would be too late.


	5. Chapter 5

The X Conspiracy Chapter 5

Sarah lifted the manhole cover just enough to see a sliver of the surface world. In this part of town there were few pedestrians cruising the sidewalks and virtually no cars. She scanned the street cautiously and when she was satisfied she removed the heavy iron lid completely. Silently she hoisted herself out of the manhole, still surveying the area. "Come on, Carlos," she whispered down into the dank hole, "help Adam out too." Sarah played sentry while her two companions scrambled out of the New York sewers. After they had emerged and were looking around nervously, Sarah replaced the manhole cover. "Follow me," she ordered slinking out of the alley and across the street quickly. The two boys followed behind, breathing heavily with the effort to keep up. The trio moved covertly through deserted alley ways, over walls, and under rusted chain link fences. Finally they came to pause behind a large green dumpster that was tucked away in an alley behind an all-night diner. Sounds of patrons, dishes clinking, and music wafted out of the building and into the alley. There was also the aroma of fried foods, coffee and fresh baked apple pie that lingered in the air. Sarah ignored the rumbling in her stomach and turned towards her companions. "Okay, guys. You know what to do." Sarah looked down at her cracked Timex watch. 7:20 P.M., any minute now she thought to herself.

Carlos glanced around wearily, dirt smudged his dark complexion and his dark hair fell loosely around his head. Andy took a deep breath and frowned. Sarah knew he was using his incredible sense of hearing to monitor what was going on in the diner and out on the street. His blue eyes looked as intense as his hair, which was blonde and spiky like a porcupine. Both boys wore ratty jeans and faded sweat shirts. Sarah looked down at her own decrepit attire. Her leather pants were ripped and her vest had so many holes it resembled Swiss cheese. She resisted the impulse to shake her head in disgust. They were poor, dirty and hungry but this recon mission would at least solve the hunger issue. She imagined the happy faces they would see when they returned to the Morlock tunnels. The return would be bittersweet as she sometimes dreamt of remaining on the surface. This time she did shake her head, her sandy brown hair shifting over her ears. She could never live up here, she thought. She was a mutant and had been raised in the sewers. She had been a Morlock all of her life. Her childhood had been relatively happy as she was surrounded by loved ones, but as she grew older she realized they were outcasts. They were forced to hide in the sewers beneath New York City like rats. During her childhood Calisto had been their leader and had provided for them and enabled them to survive through the years, and attacks. Sarah had admired and emulated Calisto. Now she led the Morlocks, their lives and well being her responsibility. She had trained hard over the years, honing her skills and powers to become a vicious fighter. Her hand-to-hand combat was impressive but her real weapons were the bones that continuously grew from her body until they pierced her skin. They protruded mainly from her back, fanning out like some macabre wings. During a fight she would detach the bones, yanking them from her body to wield as swords, daggers, staffs and spikes. Her unique abilities had earned her the name Marrow.

Marrow squatted low on her haunches behind the dumpster like a caveman trying to make a fire. She glanced at her watch once more. 7:30. Showtime. Right on cue Adam gave Marrow the signal that someone was coming. She nodded tersely in Carlos' direction and stepped out from behind the dumpster the two boys close on her heels. The three of them were exposed to the open now and Carlos turned to place a hand on the trash bin. Marrow and Adam squeezed their eyes shut tightly. Even through her eyelids Marrow could see the bright strobe flash. It was over in a second and when they opened there eyes the dumpster had vanished, completely invisible to the naked eye. Carlos gave them a thumbs-up then furrowed his brow in concentration. . Using his photonic powers Carlos began to construct and exact replica of the dumpster around them. The hologram was so life-like it blocked the light from a nearby street lamp and cast a shadow on the damp pavement. Adam produced a large blue tarp from a pack slung across his shoulder. Both boys grabbed a corner and Marrow held the other side herself. Seconds later they heard the back door to the diner swing open.

Lou Baxter trounced out into the alley. He pulled a large rolling cart with both hands and steered it into the alley and up to the dumpster. He paused for a second to wipe the sweat from his forehead and to pull his pants up around his bulging gut. At 7:30 every evening the portly cook had to haul out leftover chicken, rice and vegetables before the next shift came on. It always boggled his mind how much food was wasted weekly. Oh well. He thought flinging a tray of fried okra into the dumpster. Several minutes later Lou was preparing to toss the last tray of fried chicken away. He fought the urge to sneak a drumstick for himself and heaved it all into the trash. "What the hell?" Lou said aloud. He could have sworn he saw a piece of chicken not go into the bin, but _through_ it. Scratching his greasy hair, he took a tentative step towards the dumpster with an outstretched hand. His hand was almost upon it when he was startled by a loud _BOOM! _of thunder. Lou jumped back and grabbed his chest as if having a coronary. He looked up, inspecting the hazy sky. No clouds. Still he returned to the rolling cart and pushed it back into the diner, not wishing to be rained upon. He cast one more furtive look back at the dumpster and shook his head. "I need a vacation," he said aloud again as he slammed the door closed.

Carlos, who had been holding his breath in anticipation, exhaled with relief and allowed the illusion to vanish. Marrow flashed both boys a quick smile a slung the food laden tarp over her shoulder and motioned for them to follow her again. When they were a safe distance away from the diner she spoke. "You two were great," she gushed. "He couldn't tell the trash bin was fake and way to go Adam with the fake thunder!" Adam beamed with pride. His powers not only allowed him to hear over great distances but he could also manipulate sound waves in a variety of ways. Marrow had chosen these boys knowing that sight and sound would be key in their mission. They basked in the joy of the mission's success all the way to the alley where the manhole was. Marrow moved deeper into the alley, here eyes shifting over the ground, expecting to seethe manhole cover, but there was none. The alley ended abruptly in a dead-end. Marrow swore. Had she made a wrong turn somewhere? Impossible, she mused. She had traveled this route for years, but as she looked around she grew confused. She was about to double back when Adam touched her arm. She turned and gave him a questioning look. The boy looked alarmed.

"We're not alone," he whispered nervously his eyes darted around the alley. "Heartbeats," he clarified. Marrow dropped the tarp and snatched two jagged bones the size of baseball bats from her spine. She tensed her body tight as a coil and scanned the alleyway for any signs of life. There were none visible, but she knew that meant little. She nodded her head at Carlos and instant understanding passed between the three of them. Marrow caught a glimpse of Carlos raising his hands above his head before she squeezed her eyes shut once more. A brilliant white strobe flashed, bathing the alley in stark white light. Carlos yelped in fear as a large man in a tan suit charged at him from his right side. He scrambled away from his attacker, simultaneously bending the light around himself to become invisible. Carlos was horrified to discover that the man was still looking right at him. How could he see him? Carlos pondered still evading the large man's reach. Behind the suited man Marrow hurled a jagged bone at the man striking his arm.

Marrow struck the stranger's arm and expected him to howl in pain and attempt to staunch the blood flow. Instead, a spray of sparks cascaded to the pavement and fizzled. The man, with his back still to her, swung at empty space. Marrow heard a muffled groan and Carlos materialized and collapsed to the ground in a heap. Marrow noticed a woman in a black bodysuit was leaning on the far wall rubbing her eyes. Her blonde hair framed her pain stricken features. Beside her a man in breaches and a vest was squinting at her through watery eyes. Marrows eyes came to rest on his bright green hair. Crap! Marrow swore. They were mutants. Why were they attacking them?

Adam had come up behind the robotic man his hands outstretched. A low whine emitted from him intensifying until it was earsplitting. Marrow winced and covered her ears. To her dismay the cyborg seemed unaffected. He turned and back handed the boy, sending him flying against a building. Marrow screamed in rage and charged the fiend, bone daggers in each hand. He turned to meet her, his eyes ablaze with malice. Marrow slashed her daggers through his flesh to expose circuitry beneath. He swung wildly but she was too fast for him. She used her speed to dodge his massive arms and impale him repeatedly. Not once did this man cry out in pain or fear. This only made her fight harder. Finally she struck gold when she drove her lance into his knee. A thick blue liquid oozed from the wound and he seemed to lose control of the limb completely. He cursed at her as she moved in for the kill.

"Who are you?" she demanded holding her lance above his eye, poised to strike. She looked at the green haired man who had moved closer to her and was steadily inching every second. "Don't come any closer or I will put this through his head!"

"You won't do that, Sarah," the man said still advancing. Marrow faltered at the sound of her own name. She eyed him wearily.

"Why the hell won't I?" she asked bearing her teeth. He finally stopped moving towards her bent his head at an angle as if contemplating a difficult math problem. Then he knelt down next to Carlos unconscious body and placed his palm on the boy.

"Because if you do that I will drain the energy from this child and he will shrivel like a husk," Green hair threatened. Marrow chewed her lower lip nervously and glanced at the woman who had accompanied the two men. She seemed preoccupied, bored even. Marrow looked down at the bulky cyborg; he was grinning devilishly. His eyes held no compassion and in that moment she knew that they would do as they promised. Grudgingly she lowered her weapon and backed away.

"What do you want?" she demanded her chin high in defiance. Green hair smiled politely.

"Just a little hospitality," he seethed.


	6. Chapter 6

The X Conspiracy Chapter 6

Ape was worried. He wrung his hands together nervously. Half an hour had passed since Sarah had arrived with two strangers in the swirling light. A clean looking blonde woman and a grass haired man…He knew they were mutants immediately. He had wanted to run up and meet these surface dwellers. But something in the way Sarah looked at him made him stop dead in his tracks. He had watched as she led the strangers to Aunt Annalee.

Annalee was one of the eldest Morlocks. She had raised most of the younger children, orphans of mutant hating surface dwellers. She had taken care of Ape when he was so badly beaten by The Friends Of Humanity years before. She used too sing to him…soothing lyrics with a hypnotic cadence. Ape had watched Sarah and the strangers lead Annalee into the swirling light and he sat with a heavy feeling.

Now Ape sat anxiously on an old crate at the spot where they had exited the sewers in a swirling pool of light. Sighing he cast his eyes over the Morlocks' home; tunnels of concrete 200 feet in diameter snaking through the damp, cold bowels of the city. Rats scurried with slimy bodies close to the walls and the Morlocks stayed warm next to barrel fires and huddled in lean-to shacks. The flames played shadows over the rickety shanties and moist walls. The sound of dripping moisture could be heard collecting in pools on limestone. Ape looked down and regarded himself in one such puddle. Clearly, Ape was worried. It read plainly across his wide face. A green toboggan covered his graying hair and his large leathery lips drooped slightly. He was no beauty, hence the name Ape. His name had nothing to do with his mutant abilities, however. His body was so pliable he could shape and stretch it into anything he could imagine. Ape turned his head 180 degrees and watched two young men in deep conversation by a nearby barrel fire. In the light Ape could make out their waxy, bumped skin…one a frog green and the other a dark shade of coral. Leech and Artie had been best friends since childhood, practically inseparable. Leech had the power to negate other mutant's powers while Artie could amplify powers ten-fold. Ape chuckled. I guess opposites do attract, he mused to himself. The two friends were talking intensely, bent close together so no one could hear. They were obviously up to something, but before Ape had a chance to speculate what a bright swirling portal opened in the tunnel and he snapped his head round to its original position.

Out of the corona of light appeared Sarah, Annalee and the two strangers. "Gather around Morlocks," Sarah called into the tunnel, her voiced echoing off the cement walls. Ape frowned. Sarah's voice seemed distant somehow, detached. He braced himself for bad news while other Morlocks emerged from their domiciles and gathered near. Ape saw Muck, a slime covered mutant slither up on his right. His oily black eyes gazed at Sarah expectantly. Grunt sauntered up on his left and crossed his huge tattooed arms over his chest. Grunt reminded Ape of a massive Mr. Clean…only dirty. A girl with three eyes stood beside him and Ape realized he didn't know her name. Ape looked out at the sea of faces behind him. There were hundreds of them, but noticeably absent were the ever adjacent green and pink heads of Leech and Artie. They were always running off but at a time like this when two of their own had been attacked it was dangerous. Ape bit his great bottom lip with worry, but was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Sarah's voice. "Listen to me, my Morlocks," Sarah droned in an empty tone, "Carlos and Adam are alive and well. The strangers have kept their word and cared for their injuries. They have a message for all of you as they recover. Annalee who soothed them will deliver it to you." Sarah steeps aside and Annalee hobbled forward. Her gray hair was bound with a red gingham scarf and the dress she wore was twice as old as she. She slid her sandaled feet as she walked and she steadied herself with a gnarled wooded staff. She cast her unseeing gaze over the masses. Her eyes were filmy and pupiless, catorax having taken her sight many years ago.

"The young boys are in good health and spirits," she spoke slowly and deliberately, her voice raspy yet bold. "They are well, but angry. Human harmed them, attacked them without cause or reason. Surface dwellers. The same who shun and persecute us almost killed them. The live, but the humans must pay…." Her voice reverberated through the tunnels. Every eye was upon her. The Morlocks stood at attention captivated by her voice. "They must pay," she continued, "We must avenge our brothers and wreak havoc on the city. Pillage, plunder, pirate and show them the same mercy they have shown us. Humans are our enemies. They are our enemies. They are our enemies."

Ape nodded. "Yes, they are our enemies," he mumbled. The others mumbled the same. Reagan smiled. She and Trevor watched the filthy creatures as they headed towards the surface. She removed her earplugs and gave Trevor a satisfied smirk. He too removed a set of earplugs and placed them in his pocket.

"Time to go home," Reagan spoke sweetly to Sarah and Annalee. Trevor rubbed his hands together and swirls of energy spiraled around his fingers.

"I have been doing a lot of transporting today," Trevor complained as the portal opened before them. Reagan shot him a withering look.

"I am sure Selene will gladly scare up a meal for you when we return. Trevor sighed and ran his fingers through his green locks. He did look a little pale Reagan though to herself. "Let's go," she led the way into the swirling pool of light followed by Sarah then the old woman. Trevor gave one last look at the horde of filthy mutants streaming out of the sewers before he too entered the portal and vanished.


End file.
